Photographs
by LovetoWritetoSing
Summary: A group of One Shots St. Berry style that don't fit anywhere else. Rated T for possible themes.
1. Bonding Time

**Wordcount: **974 **Characters: **Jesse, Rachel, Mason **Rating: **G :) **Author: **Britt

**Credits: **go to the glee writers besides mason. :) oneshot.

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><p>The annoying beeping of the alarm on my side table woke me up, screaming at me to get out of bed and get ready for the day. Groaning, I slam my palm against the top of the clock; once, twice, until the beeping stops and the room is silent again. Letting out a deep breath, I roll over, letting my arms find the warm body of my wife, but more or less having them fall in the empty space that she was supposed to be. Opening my eyes, I lean on one of the arms searching the room for her, "Ray…? Starshine…?" my pet name for my wife gently wafted through the room but there was no answer. Collapsing back on the bed, I had to decide whether or not I was actually going to get up or not. To be completely honest, I did sleep very well, seeing as my son didn't wake me up. Having a baby was everything I thought it would be, especially one with Rachel. Though he was still tiny, and couldn't speak – something about the way he smiled and cooed. Mason was my pride and joy, even if he took all the sleep from my life. He was worth it.<p>

Pulling myself out of the warm bed, I called out for my wife again, thinking that she might have been cooking, something she liked doing in the morning if she woke up early enough. "Starshine….?" Stepping through the threshold, a look of complete shock covered my face – I could feel it. Rachel wasn't cooking, she was laying on the couch, her head in a halo of curled hair that traced her face and fell lightly off the couch. Following her body, the silk night gown covering her chest I saw my son. Mason had his tiny head rested against her bosom, while the rest of his little frame was covered by the baby blanket that Shelby got for him when he was born. Something about that blanket made not only Rachel, but mason smile, so there was no way that the blanket was ever getting trashed.

As her chest slowly rose and fell, the little boys peaceful face snuggled closer to his mother. My heart melted. There wasn't anything I could do but stop and stare at the beauty of the two things that I loved in my life completely happy and content in each other's arms. Rachel must have stayed up all night making sure that he didn't wake me up – but Rachel had a way with the boy – her voice soothed him. It was pure magic watching the two of them together, and now was a moment that he couldn't help but need to mentally capture forever.

Grabbing Rachel's camera off of the Television stand, he made sure that the flash wasn't too bright and then snapped pictures, making sure that each completely caught the essence and beauty of mother and son. Once I made sure that each captured picture took in the light from the New York morning, and the happiness of a bonding family, I put the camera back up and stood, looking at them for just a moment longer before walking over to the couch and squatting down, making sure not to wake either of them. They just looked so peacefull. Running my hand through Rachel's pretty brown hair, I kissed each of her cheeks before letting my hand trace its way down her arm to mason. Stroking his soft pale cheek with the inner-side of my thumb, a smile locked on my lips. It was hard to believe that he was all mine, and always would be mine: That they both were mine. Kissing his forehead I walked into the kitchen, leaving the two slumbering beauties to rest while I wrote them a note – leaving it on the table in front of Rachel before showering, dressing, and leaving.

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><p>I woke up to a small whimpering coming from just above me. Not only was I confused, but I didn't quite understand why the noise was above me. My own eyes fluttering open, I caught a glimpse of moving mass on my chest before realizing that it was my son mason. Letting my hand rub his back in little, gentle circles, I waited until the little boy stopped whining, a sign that he had gone back to sleep. Smiling, looking at the soft tufts of hair on his head, I ruffled them a bit before looking to the table, my eye catching the note – Jesse's writing scrawled on the front.<p>

Reaching with all my might, I grabbed the note without shifting my position and read it to myself, as not to wake Mason. In between the page was a picture that fell to the floor, ignoring it, I made sure that I read the note before picking up the pictue.

**"_ starshine…. You looked too tired for me to actually  
>Wake you. I believe that your fans will understand<br>That you had other important things that you  
>Needed to get to, and instead of going to sign<br>Autographs you stayed home and got the sleep that  
>You deserve. I love you, and mason.<em>**

**Jesse.**

**Ps, I give you a nine for the dramatic pose. "**

A small giggle fell from my lips and I looked at the picture, it was myself and mason, sleeping, it was something that everyone would pray to have – a moment like that. Setting both of the items on the table, I rubbed masons back and took a deep breath, closing my eyes. Maybe I did need some more sleep – just a bit more. And before I knew it, I fell into the dream like state I had been before, my son in my arms, and my husband in my dreams.


	2. Something Lost

**Wordcount: **2,702 **Characters: **Jesse, Rachel, Santana **Rating: **T :) **Author: **Britt

**Credits: **go to the glee writers .

**Authors Notes: **This is right after nationals, where santana is still extremely upset with rachel. So keep that in mind when you read! Also if you like, please favorite and review! It helps with ideas and stylistic changes!

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><p>The last thing that Rachel had wanted to do was stay at home, but the only other option open to her was to go to the party in Carmel which was way out of her way. It was open for all seventeen year olds, which meant that all students were allowed in, to mingle with the adults and college kids that found the party scene on the weekends. Rachel was excited when the blonde had told her about it—and decided at once that she would go. Although when the glee club had offered to go together, Rachel politely declined, knowing that if she sat in that car with Santana for long enough she would start something, and the pretty Caucasian didn't need that kind of drama.<p>

Her fathers were too excited to see their baby going out and having fun that they had given her their keys to the Volkswagen. Calling out to her fathers as she left, her hand waved at them as they leaned against each other waving back. Rachel smiled, and turned on the car, letting the low sound of show tunes washed over her body. It was clear where she got her love of Broadway, from them. Eyes softened at the gentle vibrato of the soprano, before she backed up and left.

It didn't take too long for her to get to the club, but in turn was harder for her to find a safe place to park the car. The last thing that she needed was a keyed or stolen car to explain to her dads. Driving up and down the same street for nearly ten minutes, Rachel groaned – "In the name of Barbra! I guess I'm going to have to park further away." To which she preceded to do, locking the doors twice before she left the side of the black sleek convertible.

The man was scary – no more than scary—as he guarded the door, he was twice as tall as she was and weighed at least three times as much as the brunette. Asking for her license, Rachel fumbled with her clutch before retrieving her id and quickly showing it to the man. Nodding he put a giant X, in an invisible pen, across the tops of her hands before he let her in.

As soon as the threshold had been crossed, it was like making your way into a whole new world. Strobes flashed bright light to and fro, while bounding music along with fog matched the hundreds of dancing bodies thrown against each other in a wild attempt to look as if they had been dancing. Though there was a want to be as confident as she proved to normally be, she crouched only slightly as she walked over to the bartender smiling, "One virgin margarita." The brunette looked at her – nearly astounded that she had asked for something virgin, and handed her the drink, a small wink in her eye. "thanks."

Turning, Rachel took a sip of the drink, nearly gaging at the taste—the woman had put alcohol in it! With the shock, Rachel spit the liquid into a fine vapor that went all over the person in front of her. Covering her mouth as she tried to control herself. "Oh, excuse me, I'm sorry-" She looked up to meet the eyes of the person who had just got a margarita bath, and her heart sank to the floor. "Santana."

"Oh – Santana. I-I really didn't mean to do that. You see, the bartender just gave me a margarita, even though I asked for a virgin one and it surprised me and I didn't mean to spit it and I really didn't mean to do It to you." The more she talked the faster the words came out and the more she needed to explain herself. Santana had been dancing with a numerous amount of guys and she could almost feel the rage coming off of her.

"I really like your top – it's very…Santana."

Seconds seemed like hours as Santana kept eye contact with Rachel before she lunged at her, the normal anger and resentment that was attached to her cold eyes was multiplied by ten as the girls face twisted into a rage that was almost let out as a snarl. "Santana!" Rachel shrieked before the Latina was already on top of her, sending one of her almighty fists right into the side of her face—or more precisely, her eye. The sharp sting was preceded by a stumble back as Rachel covered her face in terror as her back slammed against the brick bar, sending another tremor of pain through her system.

The screams of Spanish could be heard over the music and people began to circle around them, as the crowd became thicker around the girls, "Santana! Please! Please! I d-d-didn't mean to do anything!" She tried to take a peek through her fingers before Santana's nearly serrated fingernails dug into the back of Rachel's hands and pulled them off her face. Gasping, she started to feel the throb in her back and the sting in her hands. "I-" Santana caught Rachel's face and shoulders as she tried to move her head from getting in the way, sending read streaks across her lightly tanned skin. Fear coated every muscle in the Jewish girls body as in an attempt to get away, she threw out her foot, really wishing that she had chosen heels, making contact with Santana's leg.

Growling, Santana's grip loosened and Rachel ran. Turning her back on her back on the latina, Rachel could feel the tears start to fill her eyes as she screamed "S-stop!" but like a cat, Santana had already started tugging back, making her stop in her tracks. "I-I" she was tossed to the ground, face first, her forehead hitting before he chin. Rachel screamed out in agony as the quick pain of a head ache stung her frontal lobe and she felt the girl pull back her hair, scream at her in Spanish and slam her face into the ground. The first time she barely had time to react. She was looking at the wall, then so close to the floor that he hands wouldn't even fit, but the second, the third, the fourth and the fifth, she had covered her face, feeling the knuckles of her hands drag across the hard floor, her skin scraping and tearing against the rough of the concrete. Not to mention kicking and screaming didn't help, the ex-cheerio had strength.

Rachel was shaking from the pain, the horror, the shock. She could feel the blood over her face, her hair, dripping down her throat, and soaking her shirt. The gut wrenching feeling of hair being pulled up again mad Rachel come back, and she waited for the smash to the floor again. Like a miracle from god, she could feel the weight being pulled off of her, and he face fell into her hands again, this time, softer but she waited for the hard smash of the floor, instead she was met with the feeling of arms sliding under her body. The strong arms of someone caught her head and instead of her body touching the cold floor, she could feel the warmth of a body under her.

Hands grabbed her shoulders, and she heard a familiar voice – saying something… something about calling. The voice was riddled with anger and annoyance but there was a fear that lingered so deeply, that Rachel could only let her eyes flick up slightly—feeling the blood run down her face, her shirt, clumping her hair and rolling down her throat—catching the light blue eyes of Jesse St. James.

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><p>There wasn't much for Jesse St. James to do, Carmel wasn't anywhere near an Los Angeles, but there was something that was calling for him, in a homey way. In the long run, he wasn't going to plant himself here, that wasn't his plan, but pulling Rachel in was. Back when he went to Carmel, he went to this place a lot, gLo. After a great victory, sometimes even skipping school, he would go to gLo to celebrate. Most of the Vocal Adrenaline kids did. He wondered vaguely if they would be surprised at his prescence, seeing as he was supposed to be in California, at UCLA. Did any of them know that he came back? Did they know that he worked with New Directions now? But this was an insignificant detail, having nothing to do with his purpose there that evening.<p>

The bouncer still recognized him, at least. Apparently, though, he knew Jesse well enough to know that he was still underage. Damn, he thought, tracing the drawn X's on his hands with his eyes. He would most likely still be able to get away with drinking, he knew. The lady behind the bar always had that sense of mischief.

Once in, Jesse winked at the bartender for a shot of whatever was good, ironically seating himself at the opposite end of the bar from Rachel. She slid him an expertly crafted cocktail, and he thanked her politely, taking a sip and letting his lips twist up into a haughty grin. All he could think was damn, that thing was strong.

Standing, the boy walked around the floor, watching slowly to find the girl he had come here for. It wasn't an accident that Brittany had found out about the party. He had specifically spoken to her because he knew she would be the only one that left out the fact that he was the one that had invited them. Having Rachel completely clueless would help him. Of course he had been stalking the Finnchel relationship, or more, lack of relationship after a breakup that rocked them. Fox-like tendencies of the boy lead him around the room as people were starting to envelop the corner of the floor, and then his heart sank as he heard her voice, screaming in a high pitched agony as his hand lost grasp of his glass and it fell to the floor.

Jesse pushed his way through the still dancing couples and tried to find a way through the circle that had now formed. "Get out of my way!" He growled, trying to push his way into the center of the circle, only to fall into step as the giant bouncer tore the circle apart to find the two girls interlocked as the Latina girl straddled the girls back, pulling the dark brown locks up as if she was about to slam her face back to the ground. Jesse lurched forward, only be beaten to Santana by the burly man who picked her up, legs kicking in a wild fashion as he fell to his knees, sliding his arms under her body, flipping it over to see her blood stained face while the scarlet trickled down her shirt and stained the pure white red.

"Rachel! Rachel… Someone call an ambulance!" He looked up to the crowd who stared down at the two of them, Jesse cast his eyes back at the girl as she shook in his arms, small tremors that twisted pain in her pretty eyes and made the seemingly shattered bones in the soft of her palms. "Rachel….Baby."

His heart instantly broke as the girl looked up to him. The sound of her choked breathing, choked speaking was horrifying to say the least. Her words weren't words but mere gasps for breath and gargling as her terror filled eyes searched for his. Her mouth moved, but only echoes of words actually fell from the lips of the fallen angel, followed by blood that was not only starting to pool from the laceration that Santana's nail had dug into above her brow, but also her nose, and her cheek. The pretty body I once saw twirling, and dancing now shook in my grasp, her hand reaching up, but quickly falling back on her chest.

Rachel's eyes closed, her mouth trying to mouth something. Jesse stroked her cheek, his mind lost in a conglomerate of furry and trepidation. Why wasn't the ambulance here already…? Why had no one stopped this awful deed?

"m…..my." Her voice was coated in pain and suffering, but determination willed her through as she continued to try and speak, but the small whimpers that fell from her bloodied lips, stopped as Rachel stopped talking.

"Rachel! Wake up! Don't you dare close your eyes! Your what…? What Rachel..?" Jesse ran his hand through her hair, feeling the warm crimson liquid on his hands as he tilted her up only slightly, "Rach…."

Once more, her brown eyes fluttered to life, but the look of groggy pain lingered as she coughed, a fine vapor of blood twinkling on jesse's forearm as she tried to curl herself for the pain. Mouthing the sounds that she was making, Jesse hoped that he would get the word out from her. Anything that kept her thinking would keep her awake. But it was near silent, a murmur as she let her eyes graze his. "m-my. Voice."

Voice, her voice…? Out of all the things that she could worry about she is scared that she will lose her voice from this..? Jesse's face softened and he stroked her cheek, smearing the blood lightly as he tried to comfort her. "Don't worry doll, everything will be just fine.. You'll be fine and singing in no time." There was a twinge of sadness in his voice, but he kept the lie carefully hidden from her.

Jesse watched as she blinked once, twice, her eyes rolled back into her head and her body fell limp back in his arms, Rachel's body shook violently. Her brain, damaged from the smashing against the floor was misfiring, sending her limbs into a irreversible movement that didn't stop. His heart stopped, he grabbed the girl, trying to hold her as tightly as possible, but then everything was silent. Her movements had stopped, "Rachel…?" her breathing had ceased, "Rachel…?" her eyes were closed and blood was still trickling from her mouth, "Rachel! Answer me!" His tone was desperate as he screamed at her, "Don't you dare fucking do this Rachel!" there was a short pause, "Where are the paramedics?"

But as soon as the words came from his lips they had parted their own way through the sea, and had pulled the girl from his grasp. Never in his life had he ever felt so defenseless, so lost, so completely scared for something other than theatre. Rachel was a center point of his life, she had been since the first day that they had met, and now here he was, running his fingers through his hair, her blood staining his ghost white face as they tried cpr, they tried to shock her back to life. Once, Twice, thirty minutes went by, as they continued to work on her.

And then they stopped.

The man who's hand was lightly placed on her chest, sat back and covered his face, nodding once. "What! What? You can't stop! You can't let her die!" He hissed at the men in the floor, "are you complete morons? Save her…!"

Looking up to him, the mans face was solemn, "Son, did all that we could—but, she didn't make it."

Words. Sentences. Paragraphs. Whatever those men told him after that were lost as he looked down at the girl, the one he had dated, the one that he helped, the pretty girl with the perfect voice and the amazing vibrato; Rachel Barbra Berry, was dead. And he had made the worst decision of his life, not telling her that he loved her. All the boy could do was close his eyes and murmur, no, as they covered her body in a white veil.


End file.
